“Right then," Campbell began, his tone so civil it was offensive. "May I have your name for the record, Miss...?"
"Eliza Braun," Eliza sneered. "Here, I'll spell it for you -- B-U-G-G-E-R-O-F-F.”
― quote from The Janus Affair
“Be that as it may, we were--and no doubt, still are--held under scrutiny, with that whole Phoenix Society brouhaha. It is imperative we remain on our best behaviour, a feat that you did not exactly manage effortlessly with your shenanigans in Edinburgh.”
― quote from The Janus Affair
“Nay, you attract mayhem, chaos, and anarchy wherever your delicate feet tread. Around you there is no such thing as a coincidence."
"Why do you think it is always me, Director?" Eliza protested. "It could be Books. My father always told me to beware the quiet ones!”
― quote from The Janus Affair
“Oh dear Lord." Switching his glare from the street urchin to his partner, Wellington whispered tersely, "You failed to mention this part of the plan!"
"Which part, Welly?"
"The part where the toddler is in charge!”
― quote from The Janus Affair
“They had to pass the eel-jelly stand to get there—but that still did not put the women off. Watching Londoners slurp down with real relish something that looked like it had been sneezed out of their noses was another oddness that Eliza had not quite gotten used to. The smell alone convinced her that everyone in line was completely mad. “And”
― quote from The Janus Affair
“Wellington Books was looking less than dapper. His coif was rumpled,”
― quote from The Janus Affair
“Sir Francis Bacon once said, ‘A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.”
― quote from The Janus Affair
“As Shakespeare attested, there are more things on heaven and earth than are dreamt of. In these days of modern marvels that is even more so.”
― quote from The Janus Affair
“there is a fine line between insanity and stupidity.”
― quote from The Janus Affair
“As for the repelling equipment she had used to gain entry, it disappeared in a flash once she pressed the detonator’s trigger.”
― quote from The Janus Affair
“Wellington’s morning tea tickled his nose. He took it into his hands and gave a few soft blows before enjoying its mid-morning bite.”
― quote from The Janus Affair
“Once more unto the breach," Wellington grumbled in the stillness of the carriage.
Eliza looked up from the address Douglas had given her. "Sorry, Welly, what was that?"
"Shakespeare. I always recite it just before placing my career in harm's way, or have you not noticed that when we began casually stepping out of Ministry protocol?"
"And here I thought you were whispering sweet nothings in my ear when you were spontaneously breaking out into passages from Romeo and Juliet yesterday."
"You failed to notice I was reciting the scene at Juliet's tomb.”
― quote from The Janus Affair
“The crown was a bobble, a piece of jewellery, like a queen was merely a physical representation”
― quote from The Janus Affair
“What's that you're doing, Sassenach?"
"Making out little Gizmo's birth certificate--so far as I can," I added.
"Gizmo?" he said doubtfully. "That will be a saint's name?"
"I shouldn't think so, though you never know, what with people named Pantaleon and Onuphrius. Or Ferreolus."
"Ferreolus? I dinna think I ken that one." He leaned back, hands linked over his knee.
"One of my favorites," I told him, carefully filling in the birthdate and time of birth--even that was an estimate, poor thing. There were precisely two bits of unequivocal information on this birth certificate--the date and the name of the doctor who's delivered him.
"Ferreolus," I went on with some new enjoyment, "is the patron saint of sick poultry. Christian martyr. He was a Roman tribune and a secret Christian. Having been found out, he was chained up in the prison cesspool to await trial--I suppose the cells must have been full. Sounds rather daredevil; he slipped his chains and escaped through the sewer. They caught up with him, though, dragged him back and beheaded him."
Jamie looked blank.
"What has that got to do wi' chickens?"
"I haven't the faintest idea. Take it up with the Vatican," I advised him.
"Mmphm. Aye, well, I've always been fond of Saint Guignole, myself." I could see the glint in his eye, but couldn't resist.
"And what's he the patron of?"
"He's involved against impotence." The glint got stronger. "I saw a statue of him in Brest once; they did say it had been there for a thousand years. 'Twas a miraculous statue--it had a cock like a gun muzzle, and--"
"A what?"
"Well, the size wasna the miraculous bit," he said, waving me to silence. "Or not quite. The townsfolk say that for a thousand years, folk have whittled away bits of it as holy relics, and yet the cock is still as big as ever." He grinned at me. "They do say that a man w' a bit of St. Guignole in his pocket can last a night and a day without tiring."
"Not with the same woman, I don't imagine," I said dryly. "It does rather make you wonder what he did to merit sainthood, though, doesn't it?"
He laughed.
"Any man who's had his prayer answered could tell yet that, Sassenach."
(PP. 841-842)”
― Diana Gabaldon, quote from Drums of Autumn
“When you get tired of worrying and mourning your horse and trying not to be afraid, tell me and I'll do it for you a while so you can shut your eyes and sleep peaceful.”
― Shannon Hale, quote from The Goose Girl
“Just tell 'em you're gonna soak the fat boys and forget the rest of the tax stuff...Willie, make 'em cry, make 'em laugh, make 'em mad, even mad at you. Stir them up and they'll love it and come back for more, but, for heaven's sakes, don't try to improve their minds.”
― Robert Penn Warren, quote from All the King's Men
“. . . Moon-Watcher felt the first faint twinges of a new and potent emotion. It was a vague and diffuse sense of envy--of dissatisfaction with his life. He had no idea of its cause, still less of its cure; but discontent had come into his soul, and he had taken one small step toward humanity.”
― Arthur C. Clarke, quote from 2001: A Space Odyssey
“Once traveling, it's remarkable how quickly faith erodes. It starts to look like something else--ignorance, for example. Same thing happened to the Israelites. Sure it's weak, but sometimes you'd rather just have a map.”
― Leif Enger, quote from Peace Like a River
The Law of Success
Moral, Immoral, Amor...
BioShock: Rapture
Dead After Dark
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